JOHNSON: TALLULAH DISTRICT. 
233 
(7) Streams of the Upper Tugaloo drainage .— The Tallulah and 
Chattooga Rivers unite to form the Tugaloo; the other important 
tributary in the immediate vicinity is Panther Creek with its branch, 
Little Panther Creek. All of these streams are located in deep gorges, 
in general about 500 feet below the upland surface of the Chattahoo¬ 
chee level. Falls and rapids are abundant, the water swift and 
treacherous, the gorges wild and picturesque. In traversing Panther 
Creek from near its source to its mouth I found it impossible to make 
any progress along the precipitous walls of the gorge and was com¬ 
pelled to walk in its narrow bottom, climbing over giant boulders, 
wading pools waist deep, clambering down around falls from 30 to 
over 100 feet in height, while only occasional narrow strips of flood- 
plain were found “which afforded a rest from most strenuous exercise. 
In Little Panther Creek the same youthful characters of the stream 
were observed. The Tugaloo for several miles below the junction 
of the Tallulah and the Chattooga, has a very youthful gorge, but 
was traversed with less difficulty. Along the lower Chattooga a 
similar youthful gorge was found; the bed of the stream was full 
of large boulders of mica schist, but no falls of consequence were 
seen. Passing up the Tallulah from its mouth, the gorge became 
narrower and steeper-sided, while the waters churned madly among 
thousands of quartzite boulders. Rapids and little falls were abun¬ 
dant, and the swiftness of the water was not fully appreciated until 
one of the party in crossing from one side to the other, had his feet 
swept from under him, but was saved by a rope with which he was 
tied to another. The portion of the gorge immediately below the 
Falls is known as the Grand Chasm, and is wonderfully picturesque 
(plate 27). The walls of the gorge come down in sheer cliffs to the 
water’s edge, and the stream rushes through the narrow chasm at a 
furious rate. Where the swift waters flow over hidden boulders a 
deceptive appearance of shallowness is produced, tempting one to 
risk wading across, sometimes with fatal results. 
At the head of the Grand Chasm is found a series of magnificent 
cataracts, known collectively as the Tallulah Falls. Beginning with 
the swift rush through Indian Arrow Rapids at the top, the waters 
next drop 37 feet at the fall of L’Eau d’Or (pi. 28, fig. a), and a 
short distance below plunge almost vertically downward 76 feet in 
the splendid Tempestia Falls. Making a little turn to the right 
another sudden drop of 89 feet gives the Hurricane Falls (pi. 28, fig. 
